The 1994 Group is a coalition of 'smaller research-intensive universities' founded to defend their interests after the larger research-intensive universities founded the Russell Group. 1994 Group members describe themselves as "internationally recognised universities in Britain, who share common aims, standards and values." The group aims to provide "a framework for collaboration between research-intensive universities in the UK."^[1] The date of establishment or date of founding of an institution is the date on which that institution chooses to claim as its starting point. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN. A Web page is a document, typically written in HTML... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For the community in Florida, see University, Florida. ...

1994 Group motto

'Established to promote excellence in research and teaching. To enhance student and staff experience within our universities and to set the agenda for higher education'.^[2]

Overview

According to the 'Patterns 3' report by Universities UK, "The Russell Group and the 1994 Group share many features, but are distinguished chiefly by the fact that most members of the Russell Group have medical schools, and an emphasis on science and technology. Within the Russell Group a small number of institutions are outliers on the basis of the statistical information available, and if these were excluded from the analysis, the Russell Group and the 1994 Group would show very similar characteristics." It should be noted that several of the 1994 Group institutions also have medical schools and an emphasis on science and technology, so this is not a clear distinguishing feature of the Russell group. Universities UK began life as the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom (CVCP) in the nineteenth century when there were informal meetings involving Vice-Chancellors of a number of universities and Principals of university colleges. ...

There is currently one common member of the Russell Group and the 1994 Group - the University of Warwick. In terms of research funding, this is one of the two smallest English institutions in the Russell Group (HEFCE Research Funding allocations, 2004/5). Warwick is the largest of the 1994 institutions by this measure and represents the overlap point between the two groups. It comes in 15th overall with respect to its size and is joined in the top 20 English institutions (by this measure) by fellow 1994 Group institutions Durham, York, Reading, Surrey and Queen Mary, University of London. The University of Warwick is a British campus university located on the outskirts of Coventry, West Midlands, England. ... The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) acts on behalf of the UK Government to distribute funding to Universities and Colleges of Higher and Further Education in England. ...

On the 1 August 2006 Leicester, Loughborough, SOAS and Queen Mary, University of London were admitted to the 1994 Group. However, the 1994 Groups should not be seen solely as being defined by comparison with the Russell Group. While this was the driving force behind its formation, it has spread into other activities such as the Dangoor Scholarships - 1000 scholarships of 1000 pounds each funded by Naim Dangoor and available for students starting university in 2005/6. is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Aims

The 1994 groups aims are:

• Maximise the groups influence in policy making and decision by increasing the visibility of the group
• Attract the highest calibre of students and staff through international awareness of member institutions
• Maximising income to the members through teaching and research excellence
• Co-operate on practices that increase student and staff experience
• Collaborate to create services that allow members to adapt rapidly and flexibly with the dynamic market of higher education

Further to these aims the group has a set of shared values; that maintaining traditions and cutting-edge research are not mutually exclusive; internationally recognised universities ought to have a role and contribute on all scales; high quality research should be supported with high quality teaching and all students and staff from any background should be able to develop in a conducive atmosphere and environment that maximises their potential. Look up policy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A tradition is a story or a custom that is memorized and passed down from generation to generation, originally without the need for a writing system. ... Look up Cutting edge in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Members

Note: * Also a member of the Russell Group of Universities.

The University of Bath is a campus university located near Bath, England. ... , Bath is a small city in Somerset, England most famous for its historic baths fed by three hot springs. ... Professor Glynis M. Breakwell PhD, DSc, LLD(Hon) C.Psychol, FBPsS, FRSA, AcSS is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath in Bath, England, United Kingdom. ... Birkbeck, University of London, sometimes referred to by its former name Birkbeck College or by the abbreviation BBK, is a College of the University of London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Affiliations 1994 Group European University Association Association of MBAs EQUIS Universities UK N8 Group Association of Commonwealth Universities Website http://www. ... Durham (IPA: locally, in RP) is a small city and main settlement of the City of Durham district of County Durham in North East England. ... Professor Chris Higgins is, since 1998, the Director of the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre and Head of Division in the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London. ... UEA redirects here. ... Norwich (pronounced IPA: ) is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England. ... Bill Macmillan, born 1950, is Vice-Chancellor at the University of East Anglia. ... The University of Essex rules is a British plate glass university. ... For other places with the same name, see Colchester (disambiguation). ... The University of Exeter (usually abbreviated as Exon. ... The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in the southwest of England, also known as the West Country. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... The Main Building The Ben Pimlott Building The Library Warmington Tower Goldsmiths, University of London (founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths Technical and Recreative Institute, rebranded from Goldsmiths College, University of London in 2006[2]) is a constituent college of the University of London specialising in teaching of and research into... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Affiliations 1994 Group N8 Group Association of MBAs North West Universities Association Website http://www. ... Lancaster is a city within Lancashire, in North West England. ... Paul Wellings was born in Nottingham and educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School and the universities of London, Durham and East Anglia. ... University of Leicester seen from Victoria Park - Left to right: the Department of Engineering, the Attenborough tower, the Charles Wilson building. ... This article discusses Leicester in England. ... Loughborough University is located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. ... Loughboroughs carillon Loughborough parish church The Brush engineering works Loughborough University Loughborough (pronounced locally as either , LUFF-burra or , LUFF-bruh, and more widely as [ˈlÊŒfËŒb(É™)ɹə]) is a town in Leicestershire, central England with a population of 57,600 as of 2004. ... Professor Shirley Pearce CBE is Vice-Chancellor of Loughborough University, a position she has held since January 2006. ... Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL) (until 2000 Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London and still called that in its charter [1] and occasionally still abbreviated to QMW) is the fourth largest College of the University of London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Adrian Smith is a British statistician and Principal of Queen Mary, University of London. ... Whiteknights Lake Whiteknights Lake in winter The University Great Hall, on the London Road Campus The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. ... , Reading is a town, unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) and urban area in the English county of Berkshire. ... Gordon Marshall is a sociologist and the current Vice chancellor of the University of Reading. ... Affiliations 1994 Group University of London ACU AMBA Website http://www. ... Statistics Population: 12,000 (inc. ... The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) is a specialist constituent of the University of London committed to the arts and humanities, languages and cultures and the law and social sciences concerning Asia, Africa, and the Near and Middle East. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... St Marys College Bute Medical School St Leonards College[5][6] Affiliations 1994 Group Website http://www. ... For other uses, see St Andrews (disambiguation). ... Brian Lang, FRSE, is Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews. ... The University of Surrey is a public university in Guildford, England. ... , For other places with the same name, see Guildford (disambiguation). ... The University of Sussex (also known colloquially as Sussex Uni) is an English campus university which is situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, and is four miles from Brighton. ... Falmer railway station, autumn 2005. ... The University of Warwick is a British campus university located on the outskirts of Coventry, West Midlands, England. ... For other uses, see Coventry (disambiguation). ... Professor Nigel Thrift is the current Vice Chancellor of the University of Warwick and a leading academic in the field of human geography. ... This article is about the British university. ... York shown within England Coordinates: , Sovereign state Constituent country Region Yorkshire and the Humber Ceremonial county North Yorkshire Admin HQ York City Centre Founded 71 City Status 71 Government  - Type Unitary Authority, City  - Governing body City of York Council  - Leadership: Leader & Executive  - Executive: Liberal Democrat  - MPs: Hugh Bayley (L) John... Professor Brian Cantor has been the Vice-Chancellor of the University of York since 2002, and is acknowledged as a world authority on materials manufacturing. ...

Former Members

The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), which merged with the Victoria University of Manchester to form the University of Manchester, was a member of the 1994 Group until October 2004. The London School of Economics was also a member until 2006. Both institutions are now members of the Russell Group. UMISTs Main Building from Whitworth Street. ... The Victoria University of Manchester (VUM) was a large university in Manchester in England. ... Affiliations Russell Group, EUA, N8 Group, NWUA, Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) Website http://www. ... Mascot: Beaver Affiliations: University of London Russell Group EUA ACU CEMS APSIA Universities UK U8 Golden Triangle G5 Group Website: http://www. ...

Governance and Management Structure

The 1994 Group is headed by a Board made up of the heads of member institutions. The Board meets formally on four occasions each year. In addition, an annual residential conference takes place in the summer where longer-term strategic issues are discussed.

The Board has responsibility for determining strategy and has ultimate responsibility for all activity including the overall Communications Strategy, as well as determining the development of Group policy and agreeing all policy papers, positioning statements and consultation responses, and responsibility for the governance of all joint activity. Board members are key to the development and delivery of Group policy. Without their support, the Group is unable to function.

Chair

The Chair is elected by Board members for a three-year term of office. Professor Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter, is Chair until August 2009.

The Chair is the national spokesperson for the Group and represents its interests where a senior representative of the Group is required. The Chair has overall responsibility for the development and delivery of the Communication Strategy on behalf of the Board. In this role, the Chair regularly meets with representatives of all key stakeholders bodies in a formal and informal capacity.

Advisory Group

The Chair is assisted in undertaking their duties by a Chair’s Advisory Group (CAG) elected from the Board for a three year period of office (initial membership was staggered to ensure a rolling change of membership). The CAG meets on four occasions each year. Current CAG members (and terms of office) are as follows:

• Gordon Marshall (September 2008);
• Paul Wellings (September 2008);
• Shirley Pearce (December 2009);
• Geoff Crossick (September 2010) and
• Christopher Snowden (September 2010).

CAG members have a general brief for assisting the Chair in the development of all areas of Group policy (including management of the relationship with the Policy Groups).

The CAG has a central role in the development of relationships with Government, Funding Bodies, and HE Stakeholder Organisations. In addition, CAG members are available to speak to the media on behalf of the Group if the Chair is unavailable.

Policy Groups

Below Board level, the Group has established three policy groups at Pro-Vice-Chancellor level: Research and Enterprise (Chaired by Professor Dianne Berry, Reading); Student Experience (Chaired by Professor Janice Kay, Exeter); and Strategic Planning and Resources (Chaired by Professor Andrew Wathey, RHUL). The Chairs of the Policy Groups are elected on a three-year term of office from amongst the members of the Groups.

The Policy Groups provide an essential avenue via which the group can strengthen inter-institutional activity and provide forum for the development of longer term policy positions and consultation responses. To guide their work, each Policy Group has an agreed work-plan with the Board setting out the issues for its consideration over the forthcoming academic year. The Chairs of the Policy Groups maintain regular contact with the Chair and are invited to attend meetings of the Board or the CAG when appropriate.

The Policy Groups are central to the successful implementation of the Communication Strategy as they provide the meat to hang from the Group’s bones. They provide a way for the Group to develop relationships with internal stakeholders and a mechanism for engagement with Government, Funding Bodies and other HE Stakeholder organisations.^[3]

Officer level groups

In addition to the formal governance structure set out above, there are a number of other informal networking groups operating below Board level (for example, Registrars, Planning Directors, HR Directors, Librarians, and Student’s Union Presidents known as 'Unions94'). These receive no direct support from the central organisation, but exist because their members believe there is added value to be achieved by the exchange and development of best practice at Group level.

These informal networking groups play an important role in promoting the Group brand to internal stakeholders and provide important routes through which the Board or Policy Groups might test emerging policy, positioning statements or joint responses.^[4]

1994 Group Administration

The 1994 Group Administration is currently located in the Gray’s Inn Road Business Centre, WC1X. In addition to the staff offices, the building provides flexible facilities for Board, CAG, Policy Group, or large stakeholder meetings as well as smaller rooms for meetings with individual stakeholders. The Administration is made up of the following members of staff: ^[5]

Executive Director

The Executive Director, Paul M. Marshall, is the head of the 1994 Group Administration.

The Executive Director has central responsibility for co-ordinating all levels of Group activity and provides senior secretarial support to the Board and the CAG.

Working alongside the Chair, the Executive Director is the central point of contact between the Group and the external world and has a primary responsibility for promoting the Group to external stakeholders.

The Executive Director is ultimately responsible for the development the Group’s external profile including press co-ordination drafting and updating publicity materials and the maintenance and development of the Group website.

Director of Internal Policy Development

In recognition of the Executive Director’s primarily role in promoting the Group brand to external stakeholders, there is a Director, Mr Tom Norton, who has primary responsibility for the promotion and development of internal Group activity.

The Director plays a central role in the management of the Group, providing cover for the Executive Director in his absence due to travel, leave or illness.

The Director has a specific remit to work with the Policy Groups in drafting policy papers, preparing position papers and collective responses to consultation exercises, and for organisation of the Group’s Annual Conference.

Director of Organisational Development Activity

The Director of Organisational Development Activity, Sophie Lovejoy, manages the Group's collaborative organisational development activity and acts as a bridge between the Group and various stakeholders in this area.

The 1994 Group is committed to the sharing of good practice to enhance both the staff and student experience. In support of this, the Group offers a range of collaborative staff and organisational development activities.

Administrative Assistant (Graduate Intern)

The Administrative Assistant (Graduate Intern), Rachel Craine, assists the Executive Director and Director of Internal Policy Development with their duties.

The Administrative Assistant role is a wide ranging position which supports the work of the Directors, the Board, and the Policy Groups, and in particular supports the organisation of Group meetings and the annual conference, and the production of policy papers and press and publicity material.

1994 Group position in League Tables

National Student Survey (NSS) 2006-2007

The 2007 NSS results have placed the 1994 Group, for the third year running, as the leading group of universities. The Group’s overall satisfaction score (4.18) is significantly higher then the average for the HE sector as a whole (4.03). Member institutions are all rated above average in each of the six categories in the survey, achieving an average of 3.96, compared with 3.87 for the sector.^[6]

The Mayfield League Table and The Times Good University Guide 2008

1994 Group member institutions have a consistent record of the highest levels of achievement in research and in the delivery of the student experience. This record is demonstrated by the publication of the first Mayfield League Table and in the Times Good University Guide 2008.

In the national Mayfield tables, four of the 1994 Group members achieved top ten positions and ten were placed within the top twenty. This excellent performance was mirrored in the regional tables, where 1994 Group institutions achieved first position in four regions and second position in a further four regions. ^[7]

In the Times Good University Guide 2008, three 1994 Group institutions achieved top ten positions, and nine were placed within the top twenty. ^[8] edf

Current work

1994 Group ‘Enhancing the Student Experience’ Project

The 1994 Group’s Student Experience Policy Group has been working on its ‘Enhancing the Student Experience’ project since Summer 2006. The ongoing project aims to identify the key issues surrounding student experience in the HE sector, to begin defining the 1994 Group’s own position in this context, and to identify potential areas for research and activity in the future. ^[9][10]

The ‘Enhancing the Student Experience’ Policy report ^{[11] [12] [13]} , launched on 28th November 2007, concludes that there are seven priority areas for the Higher Education sector to take forward in order to meet the challenges of a changing environment of student experiences and expectation. These seven priority areas are:

1. A requirement to provide transparent and accurate information around the student experience

2. Towards the 2020 Workforce: Promoting the well-rounded graduate

3. Promoting the student voice

4. Engagement with schools and colleges

5. Student-focused resources

6. International strategy and internationalisation

7. Excellence and enhancement in teaching and learning

The 1994 Group has made a commitment to address these challenges and will monitor their impact as the sector takes them forward. As part of this process, the Group will undertake a similar review in 2012. This will determine the impact of the recommendations set out in the 2007 policy report.

'HE Engagement with 14-19 reforms’

The 1994 Group is currently undertaking a joint research with the Department for Children, Schools and Families to assess the effects of the Government’s curriculum reforms on member institutions with the overarching aim of ensuring that student with the new diploma qualifications would be welcomes onto degree courses at the best universities. The project outcomes will be published in January 2008. ^{[14][15] [16]}

See also

• British university
• List of universities in the United Kingdom

UK University Organisations Most British universities can be classified into 5 main categories, Ancient universities - universities founded before the 19th century Red Brick universities - universities founded in the 19th and early 20th centuries. ... This is a list of universities in the United Kingdom. ...

• Russell Group of Universities
• Campaigning for Mainstream Universities (Group of the ex-polytechnics)
• Universitas 21
• Golden Triangle (UK universities)
• N8 Group
• White Rose University Consortium

Types of UK university The Russell Group of universities is a self-selected group of large research-led British universities; 18 of its 19 members are in the top 20 in terms of research funding. ... Campaigning for Mainstream Universities Campaigning for Mainstream Universities is now the formal title of the UK organisation representing the interests of former polytechnics and post-1992 universities, formerly known as the Coalition of Modern Universities ... The term polytechnic, from the Greek πολύ polú meaning many and τεχνικός tekhnikós meaning arts, is commonly used in many countries to describe an institution that delivers vocational or technical education and training, other countries do not use the term and use alternative terminology. ... Universitas 21 is an international network of research-intensive universities, established as an international reference point and resource for strategic thinking on issues of global significance. ... The Golden Triangle is a group of leading research UK universities. ... The N8 Group comprises eight research-intensive universities in the north of England. ... The White Rose University Consortium is a partnership between three universities in Yorkshire, England - Leeds, Sheffield, and York. ...

• Ancient university
• Red Brick university
• Plate glass university
• Technological University
• Campus university

International Groups of Universities Ancient university is a term used to describe the medieval and renaissance universities of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that have continued to exist. ... Red Brick is a name given originally to the six civic British universities that were founded in the industrial cities of England in the Victorian era and achieved university status before World War II. The civic university movement started in 1851 with Owens College, Manchester (now the University of Manchester... The University of Yorks Central Hall is an example of plate glass architectural design. ... A campus university is a British term for a University situated on one site - with student accommodation, teaching and research facilities, and leisure activities all together. ...

• Group of Eight
• Innovative Research Universities Australia
• Ivy League

The Group of Eight (Go8) is a lobby group for eight Australian tertiary institutions which are the leading universities in Australia. ... Innovative Research Universities Australia (IRU Australia) is a group of six leading Australian research-intensive universities. ... For other uses, see Ivy League (disambiguation). ...

External links

• 1994 Group of Universities
• HERO article on 1994 group
• Education Secretary praises £1m Dangoor scholarship for 1994 Group students
• Exeter VC appointed 1994 group chairman
• Four more universities join 1994 group

References